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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30090549">Our Hands in the Willows</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/softseoksoons/pseuds/softseoksoons'>softseoksoons</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Hogwarts, M/M, Mermaid Doyoung, Minor Violence, Mythical Beings &amp; Creatures, Surprise Ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:33:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30090549</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/softseoksoons/pseuds/softseoksoons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every night, Yuta is the last one in the common room, waiting by the fireplace for all the other Slytherins to retreat to their dorms. He waits until they all leave, then stalks over to the windows that look into the depths of the Great Lake and waits for the shadows to shift and for a figure to appear from the dark.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Nakamoto Yuta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Our Hands in the Willows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HELLO! I haven't posted a fic in ages this is so refreshing let me tell you.</p><p>this was originally going to be my alw fic but then I decided to just post it because why not? I have never done something like this before, so ahh please tell me how you like it!</p><p>NOTES - Selkies are a kind of merpeople that are native to Scotland! They are most likely the ones that live in the lake of Hogwarts. </p><p>as always, I hope you enjoy! </p><p>**** unbeta-ed ****</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The atmosphere in the Slytherin common room was tranquil, the only sounds being the crackle of the fireplace and the low murmurs of students as they talked amongst themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta sat a little ways away from the other students, on a plush leather chair that was angled away from the fireplace in favor of facing the tall glass windows that gave way to the depths of the Great Lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was the beauty of the Slytherin common room. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had their towers, the Hufflepuffs had their proximity to the kitchens, but the Slytherins had this. The windows extended from the ceiling of the common room all the way to the floor, the water of the lake shining despite how deep underground they were. Arrays of shrubs and vegetation could be seen through the windows, the lake’s ecosystem thriving this far down below. The only living things they would see swim past were the windows were little fish, but the occasional odd creature out would be spotted, and it always intrigued the Slytherins - especially Chenle, who was fascinated with Magizoology. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was where Yuta sat now, Charms textbook open in his lap as he went over the final material for his test the following day. The other students always called him odd, for facing away from the light of the fire and towards the water of the lake - especially at night when the lake turned almost pitch black, tinting the windows dark and casting a shadow over the common room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It gives me comfort,” Yuta would always say when they asked. He wasn’t technically lying, but it also wasn’t the full truth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The full truth was that Yuta was waiting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>**</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still studying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta craned his neck to look behind his shoulder, eyes meeting Ten’s where his chin was perched against the back of the leather chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just catching up on some Charms stuff,” Yuta responded, sending Ten a small smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten nodded with a small hum, moving so his face was a little closer to Yuta’s. “Right, catching up on Charms, aka your best subject, aka the class that you’re the top of. That Charms, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta couldn’t help the disbelieving laugh that slipped out of his mouth. He glanced down at his textbook, which was open to the page about the Bubble-Head charm. He had been the first in the class to successfully perform the charm, barely needing to skim the page. “You caught me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Catching you doing what, I wonder,” Ten replied, but said nothing else, as he turned around. “I’m heading to bed. Have fun with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Charms</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He gave Yuta a small wave over his shoulder, who returned it with a little wiggle of his fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a glance around the room, Yuta saw that Ten was the last one to leave the common room and head up to his room, leaving Yuta alone with the fireplace. The fire was slowly diminishing to embers, and Yuta knew it would soon go out once he himself retreated to his dorm, but he wasn’t ready to go quite yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Closing his textbook, he quickly shoved it inside his bookbag resting on the floor next to his chair, and stood up out of the chair. As quietly as he could, even though he knew nobody would come down into the common room for the rest night, he approached the glass windows that looked into the deep green water of the lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not even a moment later did the shadows shift, until slowly they distorted and formed the figure of what at first glance looked to be a human, but upon closer inspection, revealed the figure of a Selkie swimming closer to the glass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No matter how many times Yuta encountered the Selkie, he was still mesmerized every time it came into view. Its eyes were piercing yellow, a striking contrast to the dark green waters it swam in, while the green hue of its hair blended in with the surrounding water. Its greyish skin had a faintish glow to it, luminescent properties allowing it to see better while swimming through the dark. Its long fish-like tail swished back and forth underneath it, letting it glide easily around the whole lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta stood with bated breath as the Selkie neared the glass until they were both facing each other, faces only separated by the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” Yuta whispered, reaching a hand out to splay his palm flat against the cool glass. “I missed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie said nothing, and Yuta would’ve assumed it hadn’t heard Yuta if not for the way it brought its own webbed hand up the glass, right in the same spot where Yuta’s was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped his lips. “Have I ever told you how cute your little webbed fingers are?” He said, giggling, even more, when the Selkie’s eyebrows furrowed, bringing its other hand up to examine the skin between its fingers with wonder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie opened its mouth to respond, but Yuta couldn’t hear a word as he watched its lips move. Curse humans and their inabilities to hear through walls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t hear you,” Yuta said softly and felt a twinge of sadness in his heart at the sight of the Selkie visibly deflating. “If I could, I would apparate right into the water with you,” He grumbled, which elicited a laugh out of the Selkie, a burst of bubbles escaping its lips as chuckles raked through its chest. The sight brought a smile to Yuta’s face and heat to the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish I knew your name,” He mumbled, mostly to himself, expecting the Selkie not to hear him - but when Yuta was the only one in an otherwise quite common room, it was quite easy for the Selkie to pick up his voice with its enhanced hearing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie’s face turned sad as it moved closer to the glass, yellow eyes piercing into Yuta’s. Yuta could only stare back in awe as a whole different world was displayed in the creature’s golden irises. He desperately wished to learn it all, to know everything about the Selkie he had grown so fond of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was too entranced by the Selkie’s eyes he didn’t notice the way it was moving its hand at first. He glanced to his right where the Selkie was pointing upwards, towards the surface.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately he understood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The surface? Now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie nodded eagerly, never breaking eye contact with Yuta.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta’s heart hammered in his chest, half with the excitement of properly talking to the Selkie and half with the fear of being caught if he sneaked out of the common room this late at night. He weighed his options for a few moments, before deciding the desire to know more about this creature outweighed any punishment Professor Nakamura would give him for being out past curfew. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know the little strip of land that extends into the lake? With the large willow tree at the end?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie nodded, and Yuta nodded too, already feeling his pulse quicken and his breath start to shorten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.” The Selkie gave him one last nod before disappearing back into the dark depths of the lake. Yuta immediately turned on his heel and rushed out of the common room as quietly as he could, making his way through the dungeon hallways and towards the Entrance Hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made it out of the school easily enough, narrowly running into Peeves as he floated through the walls of the castle singing an old folk song to himself. Once outside, he ran down the grounds towards the lake, moon full and high above him, lighting his path.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It only took Yuta eight minutes to reach the stretch of land he mentioned to the Selkie, chest heaving with the exertion of running all the way there. He rested his hands on his knees, giving himself a couple of seconds to get a sufficient amount of air into his lungs before righting himself and walking out towards the Willow tree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The grass was soft underneath his shoes as he neared the Willow, a cool spring breeze flowing in from the lake, wisping through his hair and messing up the strands. Yuta breathed in deeply, letting out a content sigh at the crisp air that filled his lungs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once at the Willow, he moved through the wall of low-hanging leaves until he was enclosed in the small space of grass, completely hidden by the Willow’s branches surrounding him on all sides. The leaves in front of him dipped slightly into the water of the lake, creating a make-shift private pool.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the Selkie already waiting for him, its head peeking out of the water and resting on its arms that were holding on to the rocks that separated the water and the earth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Yuta started, suddenly unsure of himself now that there wasn’t a window separating the two of them. He slowly approached the Selkie, who hadn’t taken its eyes of Yuta ever since he arrived. He decided on just sitting in front of the Selkie, crossing his legs underneath him on the cool dirt as he looked down at the Selkie, who looked back up at him with the hint of a smile on its face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really know what to do from here,” Yuta admitted softly, hands twiddling together in his lap as the Selkie’s unblinking yellow eyes bored into his. “I know you can’t speak Mermish above the surface, so I won’t ask you to tell me your name just yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie inclined its head behind it and towards the black surface of the water. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go under?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie nodded, before suddenly unfolding its arms and laying its palms flat on the rocks underneath so it could straighten its arms and push up until suddenly their faces were only inches apart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta stared wide-eyed at the Selkie in front of him, adrenaline spiking as his blood boiled underneath his ski. It was even more beautiful up close, all silk green hair and dripping grey skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Yuta could even register what was happening, webbed hands coated in mucus grabbed ahold of his arms and dragged him until he was plunged headfirst into the cold water of the lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately Yuta opened his mouth in alarm, which only served to fill his lungs with water, sending him into a coughing fit. The hands on his arms didn’t let go, only tightened their grip as Yuta fought to evict the water from his lungs. He thrashed in the Selkie’s grip as his throat constricted with the loss of air and his head throbbed painfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wretched one of his arms out of the grip of the Selkie before reaching behind him where his wand was stashed in the waistband of his pants. He pulled it out and as quick as he could cast a Bubble-Head charm. Almost instantly, a rush of air entered his lungs, making him cough once more as his throat loosened and his head stopped pounding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gasped loudly as his eyes opened, trying to adjust to the darkness around him. The only light underneath the water was the glow of the Selkie’s skin as it waded in front of Yuta, watching him curiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once Yuta calmed down significantly and adjusted to being underwater, he turned on the Selkie in an outrage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you do that?” He snapped, feeling his heart pumping loudly in his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie swam closer, against bringing their faces within inches of each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can yuh hear meh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuta blinked, momentarily forgetting his anger at the sudden rush of being able to </span>
  <em>
    <span>hear</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Selkie’s voice. It had a slight Scottish accent - Selkies were from Scotland after all - and sounded more slurred than English, but Yuta could understand it just fine. “Yeah, yeah I can hear you,” He mumbled back, dumbstruck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as the Selkie’s eyes sparkled excitedly, the corner of its mouth upturning slightly. “‘m Doyoung.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Yuta furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what the Selkie was trying to tell him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Selkie moved its lips around its words slowly. “Meh name is Doyoung.” The Selkie - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Doyoung</span>
  </em>
  <span> - moved a few inches away from Yuta, seemingly unsure of itself as it ripped its gaze away from Yuta for the first time that night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung,” Yuta said, testing the syllables out on his tongue. It definitely wasn’t a name Yuta was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. “Doyoung.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doyoung nodded in earnest, delighted beyond words to hear Yuta saying its name. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a pretty name,” Yuta smiled, finding himself not being able to take his eyes off Doyoung, even as the Selkie leaned back and started swimming in a big circle around him, waving its tail back and forth rapidly so that spurts of bubbles formed around Yuta, obstructing his view.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh, basking in the warmth of the Selkie’s excitement. Slowly the bubbles turned warmer, heating up his skin underneath his robes. The bubbles caught on the fabric of his clothes and if Yuta wasn’t so busy laughing, he would’ve noticed the material start to melt under the contact of the bubbles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon the bubbles were making contact with his bare skin, and he winced at the sudden burns. He looked around him frantically, but couldn’t see through the walls of bubbles, couldn’t make out Doyoung’s figure in the water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung?” He called out, his heartbeat picking up speed as dread started to trickle down his spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bubbles didn’t stop, melting away at his clothes and then blistering his skin, leaving him crying out and whimpering at the pain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doyoung!” He tried again, voice breaking as his throat constricted in fear. His cries were in vain as dark shadows started circling around him on the other side of the bubbles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pupils dilated and sweat beading on his brow Yuta gripped his wand tight and aimed it at one of the moving shadows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stupefy!” He yelled, and a bright beam sprouted out of his wand in the direction of the creature. He heard a deafening screech ripple through the water, and he knew he hit the creature dead on. Parts of the bubbles dispersed and gave him half a second to take in surroundings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could only make out a blur of tails, but he knew he was outnumbered by a lot. Bracing himself, he turned around and shot out another “Stupefy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another ear-splitting screech sounded as Yuta hit another creature dead on. Chest heaving with the effort to keep himself floating in his position and bear the pain of the onslaught of bubbles, Yuta pointed his wand out again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to shout out “Stupefy!” once more when vines shot out from deep underneath him and latched onto his ankle, lurching him downward. He gasped at the sudden force and looked down at the vines that were quickly coiling tighter around his ankle and climbing higher up his leg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Directing his wand down at the vines, he yelled “Stupefy!” and watched as the vines broke apart and recoiled from the magic. Yuta took the opportunity to start kicking his legs in an attempt to get back up to the surface, but suddenly more vines sprang up out of the darkness and grabbed onto every one of his limbs. His wrists and ankles were caught, the vines tight as they squeezed his skin, making him yell out in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harsh whispers filled his ears, grating at his brain and leaving him dizzy and disoriented. They were mixtures of “Doyoung” and “pretty name” and Yuta wanted nothing more than to claw at his ears until they bled. He felt himself lose control of his fingers, and his wand slipped out his palm as it opened subconsciously. He desperately fought against the vines, trying to will himself free of their grip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whispers grew harsher as the creatures circling him enclosed closer, forming more bubbles that seared and burned his skin. The time limit of his Bubble-Head charm was about up, and Yuta let out one last helpless cry before his lungs were filled with water once more and he was dragged to the depths of the Great Lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>uhmmmmm  ,,, YEAH!</p><p>IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY SDHFKJSDHF I hope you liked it! comments and kudos are always appreciated ^^</p><p>scream at me on <a href="https://twitter.com/doyutaro">twitter!!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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